Okay, here's the revised Chapter One of 'Twilight of the Dead'. If
you're still reading this story arc, keep reading all the revised chapters, because they've changed slightly. This means that the newest chapter (Seven) may not make total sense.

Thanks everyone!

James
-------


Twilight of the Dead - Series I
A Ranma/Day of the Dead Crossover
----------------------------------
by James Jeans
(The Man With the Machinegun)

=============================
Chapter 1 - Memories I
[Revised]
=============================

    The city had become a war zone. It had all
happened so fast, so damn fast. No one had any
warning, and  no time to prepare. It just fell apon
them, like a sudden, violent storm.

    The bodies of the dead... They were
reanimating. No one had any clue as to wat was
happening, no one in authority, anyway. Rumors of
all types had been flying -- Witchcraft, Voodoo,
Satanism, and other various black arts had come
under fire. Then there were the accusations of a
chemical spill, but there was no way the entire
planet could have been infected in one night.

    Akane Tendou sat under a skylight that looked
up into the rich, black night sky. She stared
through the pale glass, seeing very few stars. The
thick overcast that had been hanging above the city
made sure of that.

    She continued to reminisce, thinking about
days of old, and how cruel people had become to one
another when the first of it had begun. She
couldn't believe how easily her peers could place
blame.

    A group of her 'fellow' students had gotten
together one night, many weeks ago, and decided
that Hikaro Gosunkugi had been the cause of the
waking dead. A preposterous idea, as far as she had
been concerned. Gosunkugi may have been naive, shy,
and what had been considered an outcast, but he was
harmless.

    Furinkan High had become one of the
designated zones of sanctuary back when it had all
begun. The local television stations had declared
it one of the safer buildings, before the station
had been destroyed. It was after most of the
students and their families had arrived that
Gosunkugi had been deemed unfit to remain amongst
the other students.

    Akane remembered hearing the shrill screams
and pleas as she moved down the corridor, towards
the Coed washrooms. She shivered as, like a warm
quilt, the thoughts blanketed her mind....

*    *    *

    Akane exploded through the doors of the Coed
washroom and gasped in horror. Her eyes moved from
the floor, up the thick porcelain walls, which were
streaked with a thin red fluid, up to poor
Gosunkugi. She watched in disgust as the 16 year
old dangled from the rafters helplessly, a rope
tied firmly around his neck.

    They had strung the rope over a crossbeam
high above the ground and dropped him. She looked
from the dying student, only to see 5 of the
students in the rafters, watching.

    Her eyes returned helplessly to the boy, and
she could see a thin trail of blood and saliva
drooling from the corner of Gosunkugi's mouth, his
body hanging before her limply. The fall had broken
his neck. From the look of it, his face had been
smashed against the wall, before it was drug up by
the noose, to it's final destination. She suddenly
felt very sick to her stomach.

    "It's that Tendou girl," one of the students
screamed, his voice masked by rage and, strangely,
fright.

    Akane backed up slowly, toward the door,
shaking her head in shock as her eyes darted up to
the students.

    "She helped him cause this," another one
accused, his voice dripping acid. "Why else would
she have rushed to his aid?!"

    The other students made sounds of agreement.

    "Get the bitch!"

    Akane's mind snapped, harsh realization
setting in as these words reverberated throughout
the washroom. Her feet slapped against the concrete
floor loudly as she raced out of the room, hearing
the other students scream and shout.

    "Get her!"

    "Don't let her get away! She might let those
things in!"

    Akane stopped for a moment and looked back
into the washroom. Her eyes were glazed in
surprised abhor as one of the students released the
rope holding Gosunkugi in the air.

    His body fell to the ground quickly The sound
was nothing like what Akane had expected. Rather
than a loud, sharp thump, she heard only a dull,
wet smack. It turned her stomach.

    The raven hair girl ran as hard as she could,
turning a blind corner, continuing down the
corridor. It didn't make sense to her. More than
anything else, these kids sounded frightened, but
why was it THIS bad? The reality of Gosunkugi's
corpse laying in the washroom hadn't really sunk in
yet.

    She stopped behind a wall at the far end of
the corridor and whimpered as she realized she had
made it right to a dead end.

    "Where is she?"

    "I saw her go that way!"

    "Let's get her, then!"

    She slid down onto the floor, closing her
eyes tightly. So many times in the past she had
taken on these very students. She remembered her
daily duels with them before school every morning.
Things were different now, though. She didn't know
if she even wanted to fight anymore.

    "URGH!"

    "OOF!!"

    "URNK!!!"

    Akane's eyes snapped open, the stunned cries
of pain from around the corner jolting her from
thought. The grunts and groans continued, soon
followed by a familar, welcomed voice.

    "Ya got somthin' negative to say to Akane, ya
say it to me first, ya got that?"

    "Out of the way, Saotome," one of the
students replied, his voice shaky. "This don't
concern you."

    The voice darkened. "Wrong answer."

    Akane heard another loud oof and a tumultuous
inrush of sound, followed by a flash of energy, and
concrete crumbling under intense force.

    Then silence. The general sounds of a
building full to the boiling point with people
still existed, but she no longer could hear the
cruel sound of false accusations.

    Akane adjusted her position on the floor and
crawled on her hands and knees over to the corner,
peering around it.

    Ranma stood silently in the hallway, his face
riddled in a confusing array of emotions as he
looked around himself. A light mist rose from the
wall next to him, where one of the students had
been flattened into the structure by a bolt of raw
ki.

    On the floor lay the other four students,
beaten and unconscious. Akane's eyes trailed from
the destruction to Ranma himself.

    The boy turned slowly, his eyes closed
tightly as he moved toward the dead end at the
other side of the hall.

    The student who had been flattened against
the wall pulled himself out slowly, shaking his
head. He felt a thick, warm liquid dripping down
his lip, and reached up to wipe it from beneath his
nose.

    Ranma stopped and grimaced, his back to the
student. "Back off, man..."

    "You and Akane were in on it togather,
weren't you?" The student directed an accusing look
at the martial artist. "You both...!"

    Ranma jumped as a sudden cry of pain exploded
from behind him. He spun on his heel, hearing his
fiancee cry out in surprise as well. He took a step
back, his eyes wide with a new, un-experienced
terror.

    The student struggled backward, his hands
grasping desperately at the unseen menace that held
him from behind, a sharp, searing pain in his neck
causing his vision to explode red. The realization
that this red tint was not only caused by the pain,
but a flowing jet of his own blood threw him into a
frenzy.

    Ranma watched, his mouth slightly agape as
Gosunkugi's corpse slid its long, slender fingers
easily through the material in the students
uniform, through the flesh in his chest and
abdomen.

    Akane leaned forward, no longer able to
contain her fear and anxiety, and felt the contents
of her stomach explode upward, a dark, thick liquid
covering the floor in front of her.

    She looked up and witnessed the destruction
of the student.

    Gosunkugi's corpse clasped its large mouth
down on the student's neck, it's teeth shredding
flesh, skin, muscle and vain, causing a geyser of
blood to flow, spraying from the pressure on his
jugular.

    It continued to chew, working it's way
through the student's neck in a horizontal line.
It's teeth soon began to work into the windpipe and
spinal cord, causing the student to convulse and,
after a few more moments, lose control of his body.

    Ranma closed his eyes, unable to move as the
student's screams became more desperate, rising in
pitch until his ear drums felt as though they would
burst.

    And then silence. A low thud echoed through
the hall, and Ranma opened his eyes to see the
student's head rolling uselessly toward his feet.

    Akane felt herself wretch again at the sight
of the rolling head. She closed her eyes as red hot
tears began to blur her vision. "Oh god!" She began
to scream, an uncontrolled, violent scream.

    Ranma watched as Gosunkugi released the other
student's body and its attention focused on him. He
wasn't surprised at its seemingly fast, jerky
movements. He was just killed, by the looks of it.
The only indication that he was dead were the marks
around his neck, and the angle at which his head
rested on his body.

    He didn't hesitate any longer. Screaming,
Ranma spun around suddenly, leveling a rotating
heel kick with the top of Gosunkugi's head.

    Gosunkugi's head flew across the hall and hit
the wall, rolling down it, onto the floor, several
feet from Akane. She screamed and backed away,
pinning herself against the wall.

    As tears continued to flow, she focused her
attention back on her fiancee. A noticeable change
had taken place in the pigtailed martial artist. He
looked older, somehow. As if the whole situation
had aged him before his time.

*    *    *

    Indeed, Ranma had matured considerably since
the whole ordeal began, but he had still possessed
that childish, foot-in-mouth characteristic. This
Akane was thankful for, because, otherwise, Ranma
had become quite uptight. He snapped overly often,
but still verged on the softer side.

    They had all changed a lot after the first
few creatures had arrived in Nerima. She knew Ranma
was still suffering from what he considered to be
his ultimate failure.

    She sighed, looking out the skylight into the
thick, gloomy night. "Where are you, Ranma?"

*    *    *

    The young male looked out over the large,
dead town, watching the many vacant streets and
massive buildings. It was so damned dark out there.
Most of the power had gone, and very few buildings
were supplied with backup units. The building he
stood upon had a small solar powered generator. He
could hear its endless drone behind him.

    He focused his concentration on watching the
streets below. His eyes had grown used to the dark,
and he never had any problem seeing almost every
detail below. In the distance, he could make out
what remained of Furinkan High. Most of the
building's upper levels had been destroyed in a
'freak explosion'.

    Ranma knew better. He remembered all too well
how it had happened. No one could get along, and
morale broke down completely. Everyone in the
building bickered, argued, and complained.

    Finally, somehow, the creatures made it into
the school building via a door into the basement
area. It was an utter slaughter. Ranma helped as
many people as he could, and watched as one of the
students who had been surrounded broke a gas line
with his foot and took out his lighter.

    He had been thrown out the window, down to
the ground below. He continued to thank the gods
for his quick reflexes and agility. Those things
were on him in no time. He scaled up what remained
of the school and had, after much effort, escaped.

    But when he rendezvoused with the survivors,
several students, some he knew and some he didn't,
had gone missing -- Ukyo, Ai, Cloud, and... and...

    "Akane," Ranma said mournfully, his head
hanging low. "I've failed you. I'm sorry." He
closed his eyes and fought back tears, knowing it
would be "unmanly" to cry. But what did it matter
anymore? After all, Nodoka was no longer around to
enforce the rules of said manliness, and it was his
fault.

    He felt a strong rush of wind blow through
his hair, and he let his thoughts drift along with
it.

*    *    *

    "Ranma!"

    Ranma skidded to a halt, his feet dragging
across the asphalt below them loudly. He turned his
head, breathlessly, and looked at the person who
followed him.

    Ryoga moved up the street quickly, darting
around abandoned cars. Tears flowed from his eyes,
but not heavily enough to attract immediate
attention. He did, however, press on through the
large puddles of gasoline, surrounded by burning
debris, as if there were no tomorrow.

    Ranma turned fully to face his long time
rival. He straightened his posture and watched the
lost boy approach. "What d'ya want, Ryoga? I ain't
got time to fight, I've gotta get to the Tendou's.
Mom and Pop are there..."

    "Ukyo's dead, Ranma," Ryoga inturupted, the
tears in his eyes beginning to flow a little
harder. "I... I tried so hard... There were so many
of them... I couldn't..."

    Ranma took a step back, shaking his head. "Oh
no... I gotta get to the Dojo!"

*    *    *

    Ranma could still feel the sting caused by
that news. He didn't know weather or not he'd ever
get over the loss of his friend. Out of all the
fiancees, he knew she would have been the most
likely to remain his friend if he had not chosen
her.

    He could feel a familiar ache rising in his
stomach, one he never felt, until after the fall of
Tokyo.

    He remembered what happened that night at the
Tendo Dojo....

*    *    *

    Ranma and Ryoga bolted through the narrow,
cluttered street. The two boys leaped up and over
obstacles, ignoring over turned vehicles as they
passed.

    Ryoga was having a hard time keeping up. He
kept catching unwelcome glimpses of what he knew to
be dead people. In his 16 years, he had never seen
a person killed in such a manner. Eyes, throats,
stomachs eaten out. Heads ripped from bodies, and
many various other forms of death.

    Ranma, on the other hand, had barely noticed
any of the dead civilians. He could only think of
Ukyo's death, and reaching the Tendou Dojo.

    The two martial artists rounded the corner
that connected to the street where the Tendou Dojo
had been built. They ran up to the gate and looked
through it. The door to the house hung wide open.

    Ranma grimaced as he and the lost boy ran
into the yard. He cried out in surprise as
something latched onto him from beside the gate.
The cold, clamy hands grabbed at his arm firly,
pulling with incredible strength.

    Ranma looked over and his eyes widened. He
thrashed and jerked, swinging the groaning creature
around in the air.

    Ryoga pulled his arm back, over his head, and
punched, growling loudly. His fist embedded into
the creature's back, causing it to hiss in pain. He
pulled his hand back and looked in horror at the
creature, which was still on his arm, thick dark
fluid seeping from within, around his arm.

    The creature turned to look at Ryoga, hissing
in agitation.

    Ranma spun around to look at it. He kicked
up, around, toward its head.

    Ryoga watched as the creature's head
separated from its body at the base of the neck. It
flew through the air, spraying Ryoga with a thick
white liquid, before landing on the ground. The
white ooze was quickly joined with a viscous red
fluid, and a pool of blood began to form around the
corpse.

    The body twitched as blood began to pour from
the neck, onto Ryoga's arm. He pulled back and let
the corpse fall to the ground.

    Ranma looked down at the creature in disgust.
He then glanced up at Ryoga.

    The two looked at each other for a moment,
but both suddenly averted their attention to the
house.

    "Sayuri!!! Nabiki!!! NOOOOO!!!"

    Ranma arched a brow for a moment. Sayuri?
That was Akane's friend from school. What was she
doing there?

    "That was Akane!" Ryoga bellowed, his
expression twisting in a dark mix of concern and
anger.

    "Come on!" Ranma almost literally flew
through the open door of the house, sliding to an
abrupt halt as his eyes surveyed his surroundings.

    It didn't look good. He had to dodge four of
those things just to get into the house.

    Once inside, his mouth fell open in horror.
The house was infested. The dead humans stumbled
around the room, up the stairs, into the kitchen,
and out the back door onto the veranda.

    Ryoga burst through the door, behind Ranma.
"Akane?!" He stopped and looked around. "This can't
be..."

    Ranma moved toward the stairs, going up them
two by two. He pushed the zombies out of his way as
he went, giving them no chance to attack.

    At the same time, Ryoga had begun the
hazardous ascension into the higher level of the
home. His agility was increased by the pure
adrenaline rush that flowed through him, and it
only pulsed with more force as his fear increased.

    Ranma stopped at the top of the stairs and
moved toward Akane's room. He froze suddenly and
looked down at the floor.

    A group of zombies huddled down around
Nabiki's corpse. Her neck had been ripped in half,
and the hollow space that remain drained a thick,
dark pool of blood across the floor.

    He watched the zombies begin to prod at her,
grabbing at exposed flesh, ripping at it greedily.
Her shirt had come up, and her stomach was bare.

    One of the creatures slid its hands down onto
her belly and grasped the skin. It pulled in both
directions. Ranma's eyes glazed with disgust as the
flesh ripped, as easily as latex, exposing her
stomach, intestines, kidneys, and other vital
organs. Blood splashed across the floor as the
creature began to chew on the torn flesh.

    Ranma covered his mouth and turned away,
gagging. He closed his eyes and felt his body
shaking, a sense of terror gripping him for
possible the first time ever.

    "Look out!"

    Ranma spun on his heel, his arms raised to
defend himself, only to see Ryoga's fist separating
a creature's head from its body. The body slid
uselessly to the floor, and the head hit the wall,
leaving a large red splotch.

    Ryoga looked at Ranma, who nodded his thanks.
He nodded in return and turned, only to see Nabiki,
her body being ripped to pieces.

    Ranma moved over to Ryoga. "Come on."

    Ryoga felt his stomach turn, and he felt as
though he were about to pass out. He looked away
and closed his eyes.

    Ranma darted past Ryoga, who followed him
promptly. They moved toward Nabiki and the other
creatures.

    As the pigtailed martial artist passed one of
Nabiki's killers, he pulled his fist back and
snapped it forward, sending the creature into the
wall. He heard a sickening crushing sound, and knew
the creature's skull had collapsed from the force.

    Ryoga glanced down at Nabiki as they passed
her and shook his head. It was inhuman, the damage
that had been done to her. In his mind, he secretly
prayed for her.

     They reached Akane's room and Ranma threw
the door open....

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